Formatted Format checked Sent to authors AP corr done 2EP sent and Format corrected Ep sent and EP Corr done Name and Date Name and Date Name and Date (dd/ Name and Date (dd/ received Name and Date received Date (dd/ Name and Date (dd/ (21/07/2010) (28/07/2010) mm/yyyy) mm/yyyy) Date (dd/mm/yyyy) (28/07/2010) mm/yyyy) mm/yyyy) 2EP corr done Finalised Web approval Pp checked PP corr done Print approval Final corr done Sent for CTP Name and Date (dd/ Name and Date (dd/ sent and received Name and Date (dd/ Name and Date (dd/ sent and received Name and Date Name and Date mm/yyyy) mm/yyyy) Date mm/yyyy) mm/yyyy) Date (dd/mm/yyyy) Balanites aegyptiaca (L.) Del. (Hingot): A review of its traditional uses, phytochemistry and TICLE R pharmacological properties A J. P. Yadav, Manju Panghal Department of Genetics, M.D. University, Rohtak - 124 001, Haryana, India Balanites aegyptiaca is an evergreen, woody, true xerophytic tree of tremendous medicinal importance. It belongs to the family Balanitaceae and is distributed throughout the drier parts of India. B. aegyptiaca has been used in a variety of folk medicines in India EVIEW and Asia. Various parts of the plant are used in Ayurvedic and other folk medicines for the treatment of different ailments such as R syphilis, jaundice, liver and spleen problems, epilepsy, yellow fever and the plant also has insecticidal, antihelminthic, antifeedant, molluscicidal and contraceptive activities. Research has been carried out using different in vitro and in vivo techniques of biological evaluation to support most of these claims. This review presents the traditional uses, phytochemistry and pharmacological properties of this medicinal plant. Key words: Antibacterial, Balanites aegyptiaca, desert date, pharmacological properties, saponins, traditional uses INTRODUCTION sticky pulp and a hard stone seed. Seeds are found exalbuminous and embryo is with thick plano-convex, Balanites aegyptiaca (L.) Del. belongs to the family or two-lobed cotyledons and a superior radical.[4] Balanitaceae. It is a multibranched, evergreen tree distributed throughout the drier parts of India.[1] It is Traditionally, various parts of B. aegyptiaca have been widely grown in the Sudano-Sahielian region of Africa, reported to possess medicinal properties in different the Middle East and South Asia.[2] It is known by various ethnobotanical surveys.[1,5-8] It finds its place in the names, e.g. Arabic names: Heglig (tree), lalob (fruit); Ayurvedic pharmacopoeia of India and has also trade name: zaccone, zachun, desert date (dried fruit);[3] been described in some monographs, but none have in India: Hindi name is Hingot and English name is described the complete traditional uses, phytochemistry thorn tree/desert date.[4] and pharmacology of this plant. Therefore, we have compiled an up-to-date and comprehensive review of B. B. aegyptiaca is a mutibranched, spiny shrub or tree aegyptiaca that covers its traditional uses, phytochemistry which grows up to 10 m in height. The leaves are and pharmacological properties. alternate, two foliate, petioles are 3–6 mm long, leaflets are elliptic and have broadly pointed petioles up to 5 TRADITIONAL USES mm long. The spines of the plant are simple, straight, stout, rigid, green, alternate, supraaxillary, up to 5 cm Various parts of B. aegyptiaca have their own traditional long. Inflorescence is supraaxillary clusters or rarely medicinal properties. This plant has been reported to supracemose. The flowers are small, bisexual, greenish be an antihelminthic, a purgative, vermifuge, febrifuge, white, fragrant, in axillary clusters, few or many in emetic and can also cure other types of ailments like number, cymes or fascicles. The sepals are five in skin boils, leucoderma, malaria, wounds, colds, syphilis, number (free), ovate and 3 mm long. The petals are liver and spleen disorders, and aches.[6] The bark of five in number (two free), oblong-obovate, longer than the plant is useful in curing mental diseases, epilepsy, the sepals. The stamens are ten in number, filaments yellow fever, jaundice and syphilis and can also act as glabrous, and anthers are dorsifixed. The ovary is ovoid, a fumigant to heal circumcision wounds.[6] The boiled silky, five-celled and ovules are solitary in each cell, the root of the plant can be used as a soup against stomach style is short and conical. Fruit is an ovoid drupe, 2–5.6 pain, anthrax, and the infusion of root also acts as an cm long, found on a short thick stalk, and is faintly antidote to snake bite.[5] The infusion of root bark has five grooved. The ripe fruit is brown or pale brown been used in diarrhoea, in haemorrhoid and also acts [8] www.greenpharmacy.info with a brittle coat enclosing a brown or brown-green as a fish poison. The paste of shoot has been used for Address for correspondence: Prof. J. P. Yadav, H. No. 339, Sector-14, Rohtak - 124 001, Haryana, India. E-mail: [email protected] Received: 26-05-2009; Accepted: 26-06-2010; DOI: 10.4103/0973-8258.69158 | July-September 2010 | International Journal of Green Pharmacy 140 Yadav and Panghal: Balanites aegyptiaca: A review dressing of wounds and as tooth brushes when frayed. The (C30).[9] Saponin containing plants are used in folk medicine, thorns are used in the treatment of leprosy. Plant leaves are especially in Asia, and are intensively used in food, used in curing anthrax, for their antihelminthic activities veterinary and medical industries. B. aegyptiaca contains and to clean malignant wounds.[6] The fruit can cure mouth different types of saponins, namely, balanitin -1, 2, 3, 4, 5, ulcer, whooping cough, sleeping sickness and skin diseases. 6 and 7 [Figure 1]. The phytochemical description of the Fruit kernel has been found as a mild laxative, an antidote different parts is given below. to arrow poison, and also acts as a vermifuge.[5] Kernel oil helps in curing skin disease.[1] The seeds are useful as Root ointments, to cure cough, colic pain and also have magico- Balanitin 1, 2 and 3, alkaloids and diosgenin have been religious properties.[5,8] isolated from the East African specimen.[10-12] Diosgenin is a steroidal sapogenin (5-spirostan-3-ol) compound which PHYTOCHEMISTRY is very useful in pharmaceutical industries as a natural source of steroidal hormones.[13] Balanites roxburghii is an The phytochemistry of its root, stem bark, leaves, fruit pulp, alternative source of diosgenin.[14] The Indian species (B. seed kernel, and mesocarp has been studied by different roxburghii) contains the lowest level of both diosgenin and workers. B. aegyptiaca is a rich source of saponins. Saponins oil.[15-17] The root wood of the plant contains Balanitism H.[14] are glycosides consisting of sugar residues (one or more units of glucose, galactose, etc.) linked through oxygen Stem Bark with complex multiring compounds usually containing Balanitol (a new sesquiterpene) and the saponins, deltonin 27–31 carbon atoms. The aglycone part, which is also and protodeltonin, have been isolated from the bark of the called sapogenin, is either a steroid (C27) or a triterpene Indian species (B. roxburghii).[18] Furanocoumarin, bergapten a b Figure 1: (a) Chemical structure of balanitin 1, 2, 3, and 4 isolated from different parts of B. aegytptiaca; (b) Chemical structure of balanitin 5, 6 and 7 isolated from different parts of B. aegyptiaca 141 International Journal of Green Pharmacy | July-September 2010 | Yadav and Panghal: Balanites aegyptiaca: A review and a dihydrofuranocoumarin (marmesin) have been isolated from the chloroform extract of the stem bark.[19] Balanitin 1, 2 and 3 have been isolated from East African species of B. aegyptiaca while diosgenin and sugars (glucose and rhamnose in the ratio 3:1) have been isolated from the Indian species (B. roxburghii).[10,20] Dicholoromethane extract has yielded two types of alkaloids N-trans-feruloyltyramine and N-cis-feruloyltyramine [Figure 2] and other metabolites like vanillic acid, syringic acid and 3 hydroxy-1-(4- hydroxy-3 methoxyphenyl)-1-propanone.[21] Stem Wood Balanitism 1 was isolated from the stem wood of the Indian species of Balanites (B. roxburghii).[14] Figure 2: Structure of two alkaloids isolated from stem bark Leaf Six flavonides, glycosides identified as quercetin compound responsible for pharmacological properties and 3-glucosides, quercetin 3-rutinoside, 3-glucoside, sources of information are shown in Figure 3. 3-glucosides, 3-rutinoside, 3-7 diglucoside and 3-rhamnogalactosides of isorhamnetin have been Insecticidal Activity extracted and identified from the leaves and branches B. aegyptiaca acts as a potential natural larvicidal agent of the Egyptian plant species.[22] against mosquito larvae due to the larvicidal activities present in the saponin rich extracts in the various tissues Fruit such as fruit pulp, kernel, root, bark and leaf.[33-37] The The fruit of B. aegyptaica consists of an epicarp, a mesocarp, water extracts of fruit kernel of B. aegyptiaca were found an endocarp and a kernel.[23] The total saponin content to be effective against the larvae of Aedes arabiensis, Culex has been found to be 7.2% in the mesocarp and 6.7% quinquefasciatus and Aedes aegypti and it was concluded that in the kernel.[24] Balanitin A, B, C, D, E and Balanitin A. arabiensis larvae were the most susceptible, followed by F and G have been isolated from pulp and kernel, C. quinquefasciatus and then A. aegypti.[33] The root extract respectively.[14,25] The oil extracted from the kernel constituted of the plant was found to be most lethal, followed by the 44–51% w/w and is composed of mainly triglycerides, with bark among the various parts tested (fruit pulp, seed kernel, small quantities of diglycerides, phytosterols, sterol esters root, bark and leaves).[35,36] On the basis the very low adult and tocopherols.[26] Besides, a known spirostanol glycoside, balanitin-3, and a new sapogenol, 6-methyldiosgenin, a emergence (only 18%) on using only 50 ppm of the root new furostanol saponin, balanitoside and two pregnane derived callus , saponins of B.